Pregnant? Belly up to this bar

Friday

Jun 22, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 22, 2007 at 10:00 PM

Energy bars marketed to moms-to-be

Kathryn Rem

Lullaby and good night, mom-to-be can snack right.

A softer, feminine side has emerged in the frenzied marketing of energy bars. With names like Promax, ABB Steel and Nitro-Tech, the $800 million snack-bar industry has set its sights on bodybuilders, protein addicts and the kind of athletes who feel compelled to run two miles if they brush up against a Frito.

But now the nutrition bar — blanketed in pink and blue packaging — is being sold in stores along with maternity blouses and layettes. The newest arrival is the Bellybar, an all-natural, oat-and-soy snack bar for pregnant women that is free of trans fat and preservatives and is touted as “OB/GYN recommended.”

The stork-inspired nutritional supplement, from NutraBella, has 100 percent or more of the daily recommended values of iron and vitamin B-6, 200 percent of folate and healthy doses of calcium, vitamin E, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Each bar has 170 or 180 calories, depending on the variety, plus 2 grams of dietary fiber and 8 grams of protein.

The marketplace also has been showered by a similar bundle of joy, the Oh Mama! bar, a vitamin-packed pick-me-up for expectant moms that comes in chocolate peanut butter, frosted white raspberry and frosted white lemon. Oh Mama!, from Vincent Foods, retails for about $2.50 and is available at Motherhood Maternity and other outlets listed at www.ohmamabar.com.

For expectant moms or anyone else who would rather cook up a batch of homemade bars, we offer a recipe from Alton Brown of the Food Network. They’re guaranteed to satisfy a craving.

In the meantime, combine honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Immediately add oat mixture to liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and stir to combine.

Turn mixture out into prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into bars and store in airtight container for up to a week.